Notes / Commercial Description:
At Arrogant Bastard Brewing Co., we believe that pandering to the lowest common denominator represents the height of tyranny—a virtual form of keeping the consumer barefoot and stupid. Brought forth upon an unsuspecting public in 1997, Arrogant Bastard Ale openly challenged the tyrannical overlords who were brazenly attempting to keep Americans chained in the shackles of poor taste. As the progenitor of its style, Arrogant Bastard Ale has reveled in its unprecedented and uncompromising celebration of intensity. There have been many nods to Arrogant Bastard Ale...even outright attempts to copy it...but only one can ever embody the true nature of Liquid Arrogance!

Arrogant Bastard Ale brewed by Arrogant Brewing, with an ABV of 7.20% This American Strong Ale pours out a deep, deep golden amber color with a nice off white head. There is a lot of lacing to this brew, it sticks to the side of the glass well. The smell is rich, with grassy grains and malts. You also pick up a nice mild hop bitterness, in the smell. Now for the taste, it is bold with flavors. You first pick up on a hop bitterness, then grassy grains and malts. The hop bitterness is a nice note to this brew. There is a lot going on in Arrogant Bastard Ale, it is bold with flavors. The body of this brew is a medium to heavy, but not to heavy. This Strong Ale has a lot going on in it, there is a real nice balance to it. There is nothing overpowering about this brew. It is really hard to pick up on 7.20% ABV in this brew, it is just that smooth. The mouth feel of Arrogant Bastard Ale is Bold, Hops, Clean, Smooth, and Refreshing. Overall I'm giving Arrogant Bastard Ale a 4.50 out of 5. I would definitely look this brew up again giving the chance to. If you are looking for a bold tasting brew look this brew up. Arrogant Brewing, did a real super nice job with this one.

Poured from a 16 fl oz can into my old reliable tulip glass (sniffer).

Those Arrogant bastards know how to brew an excellent beer. And one of the very best strong ales anywhere is their Arrogant Bastard Ale. The Bastard pours a thick head of tan that resembles light caramel that stays around a long time - really nice. Colour is a dark caramel like a well-aged congnac only hazier. Nose has (again) caramel, burnt sugar. The smokiness hides some of the floral notes, but it's there. And I detect a little bit of apple (granny smith?) that gives it a tiny bit of cider. Taste strong malt representation: It's smokey, dark caramel covered on a biscuit. Not much of a coffee nor chocolate as one might expect from a beer like this, but there is something of the two that was roasted in the process. Hops of floral and pine notes, woodsy like autumn. When drinking it starts off refined with a good carbonation to remind you that this is not a brandy, it's a strong American ale; It remains strong upon the finish, but gives the drinker a bit of a break by going down easier. OK, now I detect some chocolate on the finish. Man, this beer is so good! this ain't no Budweiser, this ain't no Coors, this ain't no fooling around. This is what beer ought to be and for people who know and appreciate drinking the good stuff. Highly recommended.

I appreciate the message from this beer. "Perhaps you're mouthing your words as you read this." Great stuff. Message sent to those who think "cold" is a taste. A problem I suppose is that this message has already been sent. Repeatedly. Within the BA community at least, I don't think most reading this need to hear that message. And while it does have a nice bold taste, there are so many choices out there now for beers which taste better than this one.
Anyway, the beer pours a beautiful reddish-brown colour with tall offwhite-orange head with good retention & lacing.
You can just see how creamy this beer is going to taste. It is for the most part transparent, but in holding it up to the light I see a fairly fine uniform particulate. Not fine enough to call the beer cloudy, but too small to be floaters. This beer has a heavy sugary bready malt aroma and taste. The odour also includes a dominant sour fruit smell; plum I'd say. It's in the taste as well but it wouldn't be quite right to use the word sour for the taste as there are so many sour beers out there now which are truly sour. There is a nice creamy mouthfeel which leads up to the bitter clean ending of this beer. Overall I just don't think I would seek this beer out again but if you're one who wants a big malt taste and aren't into IPAs or any of the other styles which go beyond malt forward, you may like this beer more than I do.

This is an excellent-looking beer. Dark, reddish-amber with a perfect tan foamy head. It just looks like a good beer, and all that that entails. Not beautiful, but ruggedly handsome.

Aromas of hops and toasted grains are very forward, with just a hint of ester-y banana and a touch of booze in the background. Very aggressive bitter aromas, with the roasted and malted ones taking a bit of a backseat. Well-balanced, yet in your face.

The flavor is a study in amazing balance between a variety of disparate, and prominent notes. Whereas the nose featured more bitterness, the palate is assaulted on the front end with a healthy dose of diacetyl and cocoa sweetness, followed by toasted grain, and finished with some strong, yet judicious hoppy bitterness. The hops are strong, but far short of an IPA, lending a citrusy, but not quite piney quality that is just about perfect.

The mouthfeel is down the middle medium, but it is definitely a dry finish, helped along by the hops and booze that arrive at the finish. Neither cloyingly sweet nor overwhelmingly bitter.

I've passed on this cocky offering a myriad of times, for whatever reason. Maybe I thought the name and the description on the label seemed "gimmicky." Not so upon finally tasting this. It defies categorization. It has the malty sweetness of a dark ale, mixed with a hoppy, but not "hop head" crispness that keeps me coming back for more. Kudos to this brewer for combining so many strong aspects into one cohesive, cocky brew. I dare you to drink just one.

I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but this was really yummy. It's rich, has a good, full mouth-feel, and the hops give it just enough kick that your taste buds don't get complacent. If you're already a fan of stouts, I don't see how you'll go wrong with this lovely ale.